Holster



H. D. ADAIR April 18, 1950 HOLSTER Filed April 23, 1948 Patented Apr.18, 1950 UNITED srrss Ji;:-

HOLSTER Hugh D. Adair, College Park, Ga.

Application April 23, 1948, Serial No. 22,789

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a holster, and more particularly to holstersof the type used for carrying pistols and revolvers.

According to my invention, the holster has a stiffening portion runningalong the back side of the holster which not only serves for holding theholster against upward movement when the weapon is withdrawn, but whichalso serves for supporting the holster from a belt. The method ofattaching the holster to the belt is such that the holster may beremoved from the belt without unbuckling the belt or removing the beltfrom the waist. This type of holster is particularly designed for use bydetectives, deputy sheriifs and other peace ofiicers who must wear aheavy service type revolver under a coat, but it is also quiteadvantageous for use by all persons who must carry a weapon of thistype.

The holster which I have invented also includes a novel cartridge pocketpreferably located on the lower portion of the holster, and formed as anintegral part of the holster, thus permitting the wearer to have readilyat hand a full reload for his weapon, without the necessity for carryingextra cartridges in belt loops or pockets separately attached to thebelt which supports the holster, or in the pockets of his coat.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a holster forrevolvers or pistols which has a stiffening back which serves not onlyto hold the holster against upward movement when the weapon iswithdrawn, but also serves for attaching the holster to a belt.

A further object of'the invention is to provide a holster having astiffening back portion which also serves for attaching the holster tothe belt. The arrangement is such that the holster may be mounted on orremoved from the belt without removal of the belt from the wearer, orunbuckling of the belt.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a holsterhaving a novel reload pocket located on the lower portion of theholster.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1is a perspective view showing a holster made according to a preferredform of the invention, the stiffening back of the holster being integralwith the body of the holster;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the holster shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modified form ofthe invention; and

Figure 4 is a back view of the holster shown in Figure 3.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, the holsterhas a body portion In which is formed of a single piece of leather bentback upon itself at the front edge II and stitched along the rear edgeI2. The back wall [3 of the body of the holster is bent downwardly uponitself at M, and extends substantially the entire length of the body ofthe holster, as is shown clearly in Figure 2. This downwardly extendingportion l5 of the rear wall M- of the body of the holster forms astiffening back, and it is also obvious that a bolt passed beneath thebend M will support the holster.

In order to define a path for the belt, and to assure that the holsteris maintained in substantially a fixed position relative to the belt,two snaps l6 and I! located near the front and rear edges of the holsterprovide means for attaching the stiffening flap I5 to the rear wall l3of the body of the holster. When these snaps are fastened together, thepassage above the snaps and below the fold M accommodates a belt, andthe snaps i8 and H are placed along a line substantially parallel withthe fold I4 so that little if any leeway is provided for swinging of theholster about the belt. The snaps hold the .holster against upwardmovement relative to the belt when the weapon is withdrawn.

Another snap I3 is provided on the inner surface of stifiening back 15,and a flap I9 attached to the inner surface of the lower end of theholster body is passed around the lower end of the stiffening portion 15to fasten on to snap l8. Flap It, when engaged with snap l8, maintainsthe holster body substantially coextensive with the stiffening flap l5and therefore close tothe body of the wearer. An extra layer 20 ofleather or other suitable material may be attached to the flap IE toimpart additional stiffness to flap 15 which maintains the holster bodyin against upward movement when the weapon is withdrawn. The surface oflayer 2t may be roughened to provide a frictional anchorage of theholster against the adjacent layer of clothing.

The need for such layer 26 will depend upon the degree of naturalstiffness of the flap l5, since a naturally stifi flap IE will need noadditional stilfening to perform efficiently its function of holding theholster against upward movement and against flapping movement.

It will be clear that the holster may be quite simply placed on a beltwhen the belt is being worn by simply disengaging snaps l6, l1 and I8,

sliding the stiffening flap l5 downwardly inside the belt until the beltrests against the inner surface of fold I4, and then fastening the snapstogether. Removal is accomplished by merely disengaging the snaps andsliding the holster upwardly until the flap I5 is withdrawn from theinner surface of the belt. Thus the belt need not be unbuckled orremoved when the holster is to be placed on the wearer or removed.

The holster also has the additional feature of a reload pocket 22 whichis formed by a piece of leather which is attached at the rear edge ofthe holster body at 23, and is passed about the front edge of the bodyat 24. A second piece of leather provides an inner wall for the pocket,and also provides flaps 2'5 and 21 at the upper and lower openings ofthe pocket. By means of the upper flap 2G, cartridges may be readilyinserted into the pocket, while the lower flap 2! permits ready removalof the cartridges by simply flipping the flap open with the thumb andpermitting the cartridges to drop into the palm of the hand.

The forward edge of inner piece 25, as well as the forward edge of outerpocket piece 2 pass about the front edge ll of the lower portion of theholster body, and are attached to the inner surface of the body bystitches which are not shown. As shown in Figure 2, the two pieces 24and 25 may pass over flap l9, and a single row of stitches may passthrough the two pieces 26 and 25, as well as the flap I9, thus making aunitary structure which is manufactured with a minimum of sewing.

By placing the pocket 22 at the lower end of the holster, the over-allthickness of the holster at the position of the pocket is maintained ata minimum as will be obvious from Figure 2. Attachment of the pocket tothe upper portion of the holster body would bring the pocket to aposition adjacent the thickest part of the revolver, so that anunnecessary bulge would be caused in the clothing of the wearer.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Figures 3 and 4. In thisembodiment, the holster body 30 has a back portion 3| which providesstiffening, while at the same time providing means for attaching theholster to a belt. The back 3|, instead of being integral with theholster as in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, is separate and isattached along its upper edge to the upper edge of the holster body bymeans of a row of stitches, staples, or other attaching means 32. Inthis embodiment, the stiffening back 3| is provided with two snaps 33and 34, and terminates a short distance below the flaps, instead ofextending the entire length of the holster. This modification provides aslightly lighter and less bulky construction than the modification ofFigures 1 and 2, and the flap or stiffening back 3| serves quite wellfor retaining the holster against upward movement when the weapon iswithdrawn, as well as serving for attachment of the holster to a beltwithout necessitating removal or unbuckling of the belt when the holsteris to be attached or removed from the wearers belt. Obviously, theconstruction of Figures 1 and 2, in which the stiffening back I5 isintegral with the body of the holster, could be made as in Figures 3 and4, with the back terminating at a point just below snaps l6 and I1.Also, the embodiment of Figures 3 and 4, in which the back 3| is aseparate piece from the holster body 30, could be made with thestiffening back 3| extending the full length of the holster, and with asnap similar to the snap l8 holding a bottom flap member similar to flapl9.

The holster which I have described above is susceptible to numerousmodifications without departing from the inventive concept, and it is myintention to cover all forms of such modifications falling within thescope of the appended claim, and outside the scope of the prior art.

I claim:

A holster for side arms to be carried on a belt comprising a bodyportion for receiving the weapon; a relatively still back member joinedto the extreme upper end of the holster body, said back member extendingsubstantially the entire length of the holster; disengageable fasteningmeans spaced below said upper end for rcmovably joining said back memberto said holster body and for defining a belt-receiving space only wideenough to receive the belt between the fastening means and the upper endof the holster; means for removably attaching the lower end of theholster body to the lower end of the back member to increase thestiffening action; a strap attached to the inner surface of the lowerend portion of the holster body; a fastener on the inner surface of saidback member for engagement by said strap; a piece of leather positionedabout the bottom portion of the holster body to form a cartridge pocket,and stitching attaching both said strap and pocket piece to the holsterbody.

HUGH D. ADAIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,230,043 Shelton June 12, 19171,603,861 Mundis Aug. 26, 1925 1,696,708 Brauer Sept. 2, 1927 2,037,132Hoyt Aug. 28, 1933

